Boys wrestling: Medina gets four sectional champs at Fitch

AUSTINTOWN — The Austintown Fitch Division I Sectional was quantity over quality for the Medina and Brunswick wrestling teams. Despite the Bees and Blue Devils each finishing with more individual champions Saturday, the host Falcons (241 points) took home the team crown by finishing 60.5 in front of runner-up Medina (180.5) and 97 ahead of fourth-place Brunswick (144). The Bees led all teams with four individual champions, while the Blue Devils were second with three. Fitch had just two champions but will send 12 of its 14 wrestlers to the Wadsworth District this week. Medina is sending seven with three alternates and Brunswick six with one. Bees sophomore Dominic DiFilippo was the first to earn a spot atop the podium, having to just win a single match. The projected state placer received a bye into the semifinals, where he had a dominating second-period technical fall, and won the crown via medical forfeit. The fourth-ranked wrestler at 113 according to MatScouts' Josh Lowe, Difiloppo's scheduled opponent was ninth-ranked Gaspar Raymundo-Marcos of Barberton. "I guess it feels good," Gilmore said. "I will get good seeding, but I was hoping to wrestle. (Raymundo-Marcos) is ranked in the top 10. I could see him (this) week. Who knows." Teammate Teagan Gilmore barely broke a sweat, easily dominating the 126 class with four pins and a total mat time of 6:11. His fastest pin came in his opening bout and tied for the fastest of the tournament, flattening Eastlake North's Ben Russ in 12 seconds. "I needed four pins," Gilmore said. "I am chasing 100 pins, and I am one away. Getting the four pins and the one at the end in the finals was good." Gilmore's final match was the only one to make it to the second period. After Painesville Riverside's Kamauri Jordan deferred to start the second period, the Medina senior scored a reversal with 19 seconds on the clock and finished with a pin at the buzzer. Cooper Kaplak upended the 132 bracket and finished with the second-best seed-to-placing difference. Seeded seventh, Kaplack knocked off No. 2 Marlon Charley of Elyria and No. 3 Charlie Dancy of Brush on his path to the championship bout. Kaplak trailed 3-0 and 3-2 at the end of the first two periods against Fitch junior Alessio Farrell before scoring a big takedown and four nearfall points to earn a 9-3 decision. "All gas no brakes until the end," Kaplak said. "I texted my coach (Chad Gilmore) that a week ago after I lost to the Strongsville kid (Michael Rusinko). As the underdog coming into this, unranked, I just beat three ranked guys. I just kept telling myself, 'Cinderella Man.' That is all I kept telling myself. The song I was listening to is called 'Cinderella Man' (by Eminem). I was going after it and keeping my head in it." Cliff Nicholson rounded out the Bees' champions, winning the 285 title with a pair of pins before a second-period technical fall over Fitch's Noah Bolen. The final win for Nicholson was also a milestone, as he picked up his 150th career victory. Nicholson carries the Bees' highest state projection, as he is picked by MatScouts' Josh Lowe as the runner-up to fellow Medina Countian Jacob Earnest of Wadsworth. "It means growth," Nicholson said of his milestone. "This same time as a freshman I am a district alternate, and now I am coming back to be a three-time sectional champ. It feels good building momentum going into Wadsworth, and I am going to get the district title." Brunswick equaled Medina's run of three consecutive champions, cleaning up at 150, 157 and 165. Brayden Miles ran roughshod over the 150 bracket and had just one match that didn't end in a pin or tech fall. The projected state qualifier finished his run with a 15-0 technical fall over Eastlake North's Rion Dancy-Toma. "It was a good day, for sure," Miles said. "I didn't get off on the foot that I normally like to get off on but made up for it in Round 2. I got my wind back and then I got through it. Came out with a win finally. My first sectional championship." Another projected state qualifier for the Blue Devils is junior Travis Latta. The 157-pounder picked up a pin in his first match, scored an escape with seven seconds left in his semifinal and then got a big third-period takedown to win his final match. Latta led 4-2 after Fitch's Stephen Pontius escaped early in the third, then picked up a mid-period takedown for a 7-2 lead. "I came into it knowing that I have been working hard all season," he said. "Lifting in the offseason getting bigger and stronger. Despite what all the rankings have me doing at the districts, I have to prove them wrong too." Projected state placer Carter Wickes left no doubt on his path to the 165 crown, as the sophomore had three tech falls and a pin. Wickes' dominating performance was unique, as he knocked off each of the other district qualifiers. He beat runner-up Siddiq Chenault of Barberton via 16-1 tech fall, third-place finisher Ronell Strickland of Fitch with a first-period pin and fourth-place finisher Lazar Kovacevic of Medina by 19-4 tech fall. "This is where I wanted to be and where I knew I could be," he said. "I wanted to go out and dominate. Quick tech in the first round, didn't really like how I wrestled in the second round. I still got the tech, but it was closer than it should have been. "This isn't the end goal. It is to go to Columbus and hopefully get on that podium." Tyler Bradshaw (2nd, 132), Landon Stolz (4th, 106) and Kovacevic (4th, 165) also earned qualifying bids for Medina, while Cooper Lavender (138), Jack Storm (157) and Rocky DiFranco (190) are alternates. Jacob Kash (3rd, 126), Danny Gamer (4th, 113) and Logan Matousek (4th, 175) qualified for the Blue Devils. Nathan Friedl (132) will be an alternate. Contact Chad Grant at sports@medina-gazette.com. Results Standings: 1. Austintown Fitch 241, 2. Medina 180.5, 3. Painesville Riverside 144.5, 4. Brunswick 144, 5. Fremont Ross 137, 6. Barberton 133, 7. Elyria 122.5, 8. Amherst 88, 9. Eastlake North 60, 10. Cleveland Rhodes 54.5, 11. Lyndhurst Brush 53.5. 106 — Bennett Wachter (Ely) d. Chase Kemble (AF) 6-3 (SV-1). THIRD: Jax Percival (Amh) m.d. Landon Stolz (Med), 11-0. 113 — Dominic Difilippo (Med) m.ff. Gaspar Raymundo-Marcos (Barb). THIRD: Ryan Shannon (AF) d. Danny Gamer (Brun) 6-3 (SV-1). FIFTH: Aaden Feliciano (Ely) d. Collinn Ollom (Fre) 4-0. 120: Teagan Gilmore (Med) Kamauri Jordan (Pain). THIRD: Cayden Gagliardo (AF) p. Elijah Nelson (Rho) 0:24. 126 — Cooper Kaplack (Med) d. Alessio Ferrell (AF), 9-3. THIRD: Jacob Kash (Brun) p. Marlon Charley (Ely), 0:46. 132 — Josiah Sims (Brus ) inj. Tyler Bradshaw (Med) 3:23. THIRD: Dominic Fantone (AF) m.d. Nick Hanson (Pain), 14-5. FIFTH: Nathan Friedl (Brun) m.d. Lincoln Ollom (Fre) 13-2. 138 — Evan Protopapa (AF) d. Aiden Autullo (Fre), 4-0. THIRD: Tristan O'Kelley (Pain) m.d. Malachi Robinson (Barb), 13-5. FIFTH: Cooper Lavender (Med) p. Mason Rumler (Brun), 0:41. 144 — Blake Cancel (Ely) p. Nathan Craig (Fre) 5:55. THIRD: Mason Cline (Barb) d. Jaylin Danko (AF) 1-0. FIFTH: Mathew Vidovic (Amh) m.d. Rickey Sims (Pain), 15-4. 150 — Brayden Miles (Brun) t.f. Rion Dancy-Toma (East) 15-0. THIRD: Gatlin Hassler (Ely) d. Adam Morris (Barb) 7-6. 157 — Travis Latta (Brun) d. Stephen Pontius (AF) 7-3. THIRD: Ben Hainzey (Pain) p. Blake Bernarth (Ely), 2:59. FIFTH: Gabriel Shumney (Amh) Jack Storm (Med) d. Gabriel Shumney (Amh), 10-5. 165 — Carter Wickes (Brun) t.f. Sidiq Chenault (Barb), 16-1. THIRD: Ronell Strickland (AF) p. Lazar Kovacevic (Med), 1:26. 175 — Isaac Vasquez (Amh) p. Timmy Jesonovec (East) 1:47. THIRD: Dayne Howey (Fre) p. Logan Matousek (Brun), 0:32. 190 — Stephen Medved (AF) d. Kyan McGee (RHO) 9-6 (SV-1). THIRD: Anthony Salazar (Fre) p. Dominic Bottiggi (Pain), 3:48. 215 — Jackson Phillips (Barb) p. Xzavior Mayo (AF) 3:56. THIRD: Mason VanPelt (Pain) d. Xaiden Natal (Ely) 4-1. FIFTH: Eugene Platts (Rho) ff. Javiaun Bush (Amh). 285 — Cliff Nicholson (Med) t.f. Noah Bolen (AF), 17-1. THIRD: Lamarious Byrd (Fre) p. Jamari Campbell (Rho) 2:38.